Revenge
by LunaOlivia
Summary: Loki is back and he's found himself new allies to aid in his plot for revenge. Cant he Avengers take him down once more? And at what cost will victory come? Rated T just to be safe!


**Soooo I know I should probably be working on my other stories and now starting a brand new one but this just popped up in my head and has not left me alone for a month . let me know what ya'll think! ^_^**

**A/N: I still don't own it, no matter how much I want to **

Natasha sighed; leave it to Fury to call them all in at four in the morning two years after the Loki incident. The Avengers had not assembled since that first battle and Natasha had been content to leave things that way. They'd gone their separate ways and lived their own lives. Natasha had gone back to what she did best with Clint at her side and they had been busy taking down the people S.H.I.E.L.D deemed dangerous. It had been an easy couple of years for the most part. If you didn't focus on what happened half a year after the encounter with Loki, everything went smooth.

Six months after the defeat of Loki and they all split up, the KGB called her back to Russia. Clint was called away to Beijing so she was left on her own. She had no idea what they could possibly want from her after all this time but she went more out of curiosity than anything. She also knew that if she didn't show up then they would send someone after her eventually and then everyone would be involved in this mess. So she went and she was met with more than a little hostility. She made it out alive of course, she wouldn't be worthy of the name Black Widow if she was taken down so easily, but she didn't make it out unscathed. Two broken ribs and more than a few cuts and bruises later and she was on a plane back home.

And then Fury called. He said Clint was in trouble and needed her assistance in Beijing. So she turned around halfway back home and headed for her partner's coordinates. What she found there was…well it wasn't pretty. Clint was very nearly dead and she arrived in the nick of time, managing to save him before he was killed. It was a tough extraction and she didn't think they would make it out for a brief moment. Barton was bleeding out on the street and there were men coming from all sides. She didn't even remember how she had managed to escape with Barton. Just that the next time she regained control of herself, they were in a S.H.I.E.L.D safe house. Fury was there, telling her that Clint would be fine and the mission was, somehow, a success. She still didn't know how that could be considered a success but she wasn't in the mood to argue at that point. She was tired and she was injured and all she wanted was sleep.

Now, a year and a half later, she was being called in under the Avengers Initiative once again and she didn't doubt everyone would be present. She didn't know much about what the others had been up to outside of Clint and Stark. It was hard not to know what Stark was up to when he was constantly on the news giving reports about every little detail in his life. Thor disappeared back to Asgard with Loki, Steve was trying to acclimate to his new life in a brand new world, and Bruce had disappeared off the face of the planet. Again. He was very good at that; sometimes Natasha wished she could be like that. Simply vanish and start all over again. But then she remembered that she had something to live for here, someone who counted on her. She couldn't just abandon her partner after everything they had been through. Maybe before they met, before they became friends. But not anymore. It seemed so wrong somehow.

She showered and changed into one of her tanks and skintight jeans along with a leather jacket and some boots before heading out into the cold winter air. Her bike was parked in front her building, covered with a weather resistant tarp. She threw the tarp aside and threw her leg over the bike, revving it up. There was snow on the ground, fresh. It must have fallen sometime during the night while she was sleeping rather fitfully. She'd only been home for a few hours when Fury called and it had not been a restful few hours. She felt like she could fall asleep on the ride to her transport. Her muscles were aching and her eyes were gritty but when Fury called, she answered. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long. She was ready for some much deserved rest after her last mission. Ironically enough, she had just returned from Budapest. She smirked a bit. At least this time things had gone as planned and no one was too badly injured. A few scrapes and one sprained wrist and everyone was back home where they belonged.

She came to a slow stop outside of the S.H.I.E.L.D transport, angling into one of the covered parking spaces before shutting down the bike and climbing off. Agents were moving at rapid paces across the grounds, clipboards and guns present in almost every hand. They didn't pay her much attention, which she was rather used to, and let her go about her business without interruption. She stepped into the cool interior of the transport, the sounds from outside muffled now. There was a low humming around her from the many computers and engines at work and the occasional soft whispering of voices from somewhere along the corridors. It would have been peaceful if Natasha wasn't here for what was probably going to be bad news. The transport would take her to the Hellicarrier where Fury was waiting and more than likely they would receive news that some big bad guy was out to destroy the world once again. She sighed, she would never understand that.

She stepped out of the elevator and into the darkened lounge on the upper deck. She could ride to the Hellicarrier comfortably at least. She might even be able to catch a short nap. There wasn't anyone else inside the lounge when she arrived and she moved to one of the plush couches scattered around the room. She settled in on the only one facing the door and lay back, her head resting on the armrest. She let her eyes slipped close slowly; her body relaxing into the cushions but her mind wasn't able to shut down. Not even on a S.H.I.E.L.D transport which was more than certainly protected from just about any form of assault. She didn't know many people who would be brave enough to attack such a heavily armed and defended transport. The only one who could actually do any damage was safely tucked away in Asgard.

The hissing of the elevator doors opening had Natasha sitting up, her eyes snapping open. She was relieved when she realized it was just Clint. He gave her a small nod and fell into the chair across from her couch. She resettled on the sofa, laying down once more. He gave a little smirk, "Tired Romanoff?"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't pretend you aren't."

He gave a small chuckle but said nothing more on the matter, "What do you think Fury wants with us?"

She gave a small shrug, her eyes closing once more, "Who knows? More than likely it's just another crazy wanting to take over the world."

She heard him shifting in his seat, the soft pat of the case holding his bow and arrows being placed on the ground. Her gun was strapped to her thigh, snug in a holster, along with a knife tucked into her left boot while another gun was in the other boot. She never felt safe or normal without her weapons. She was exposed without them, a target for her enemies. She was very good at hand to hand combat and she had yet to find anyone who could outmatch her, but that didn't mean she would just walk around without any form of protection if she could help it. Guns were her protection, daggers were her protection. Just like Clint had his bow and arrows she had her bullets and metal.

_BANG! _The rumbling of an explosion shook the ground and had Natasha practically launching out of her seat. Clint was already opening the case with his bow and strapping the quiver of arrows to his back. He looked to Natasha, who nodded and headed for the staircase that would lead them to the lower levels. It was obvious from here that the explosion had occurred below. They took turns rounding the blind corners, each one ready to defend the other should an enemy make itself known. Finally, on the third floor down they could hear screaming and smell the smoke from an explosion. Natasha went in first, her gun held at the ready and her eyes and ears alert for any signs of an enemy.

Clint was on her back, focusing his attention toward the corridor behind them, an arrow knocked and ready to be set lose should the need arise. She hoped they wouldn't need the weapons, maybe one of the S.H.I.E.L.D scientists had made some kind of mistake and blown up an experiment or something. It wasn't exactly different for such a thing to happen. The scientists around here could get a little intense with their experiments and whatnot. And she had on more than one occasion responded to what she thought was an invasion but in reality was yet another accident in the science department. It was annoying no matter how many times it happened but every time, she had to respond. The one time she didn't there really would be an enemy out there.

They rounded one last corner and Natasha very nearly froze from head to toe. There was a gaping hole in the side of the building and in the middle of the rubble there was a woman. She didn't look like any other woman Natasha had ever seen before. She was wearing what appeared to be a very ragged animal hide skirt and short top which ended just above her midriff. And across her back was a large sword. An actual sword. Yes, Clint fought with a bow and arrow and Thor used an ancient hammer but there was something so unbelievably archaic about a sword. It just screamed old-fashioned and made her think of Knights and Princesses and battles fought in woods for farm land. It was strange to see such a weapon in this modern age.

She glanced at Clint, "Are you seeing this?"

He gave a small nod, a bit of an amused look on his face, "They get weirder every time."

Natasha rolled her eyes with a small smirk and lowered her weapon only slightly as she approached the woman, "Who are you?"

The woman looked her direction and grinned. It was a strange little grin, like she was oddly satisfied and excited. She didn't understand it. Normally, when the enemy spotted either her or Hawkeye, especially both, they would look more afraid. They were well-known in the world of criminals and outlaws. Only a few weren't very good at recognizing them when they were decked out like this. Sure, they could still pull off the undercover missions and go unnoticed in the underground in other nations but around here, around their home, they were pretty well known after the whole Loki fiasco. That was one way to bring Natasha and Clint's faces into the light. It was a minor setback but they overcame it quickly and went back to their regular missions and lives. And now there was another crazy crashing into their lives. Perfect.

The woman gave a comical little bow, bending at the waist and gave a grand gesture with her hand, keeping her eyes on the pair the whole time, "Andromeda. And you must be Black Widow and Hawkeye. Perfect."

Natasha frowned, raising her gun just a little bit more as the woman stepped over the rubble like it wasn't even there, keeping her eyes on them the entire way. She was strange and Natasha found that she didn't trust her one bit. This woman was not normal. At all. Natasha felt Clint move up beside her, his arm just barely brushing her shoulder as they both went onto high alert with the approach of this woman. His sense of caution was also making itself known apparently. Andromeda paused, glancing to the left where a team of agents was preparing to strike. She gave an amused little smirk, "Do your agents really think they can handle me? Perhaps I will show them a hint of my power?"

Before either one of them had a chance to respond Andromeda was inches from Natasha's face their noses nearly touching. Natasha moved back but again, faster than the eye could see, Andromeda moved and her hand wrapped around Natasha's throat. Natasha yelped in shock, the sound strained from the oxygen suddenly missing in her lungs. Clint's bow was up in an instant, aimed right between Andromeda's eyes, "Let her go."

Andromeda just laughed softly, "Or what? You'll shoot me?"

Natasha felt Clint tense beside her, "I'll kill you."

Andromeda gave a little squeeze and Natasha's gun dropped from her hand, "I'd like to see you try it."

Clint drew back his arrow, preparing to lose it when Andromeda dropped Natasha to the ground with a flick of her fingers. Natasha managed to remain standing, leaning one hand on the wall as she tried to regain her breath coughing and hacking away. She grabbed up her gun, holding it up and refocusing her aim on Andromeda. Clint stepped forward a little more, blocking her from Andromeda now. Natasha gave an annoyed sigh and stepped up next to him, "Like I would let you have all the fun."

Clint gave a small grunt but didn't move to block her off from the enemy again. Andromeda looked like she was going to laugh, her mouth quirked up at the corners, "Isn't that just adorable. Love among the killers. Who would have thought?"

"You go high and I go low?" Natasha asked, ignoring the strange woman's amused laughter. Why did it always have to be the crazy ones who targeted them? Seriously? Couldn't they just have a normal day with a mortal drug lord or mob boss? She missed those missions, something she didn't think she'd ever feel. But damn, more and more of these weirdos were invading their lives and she couldn't stand it sometimes.

Clint gave a curt nod, the set of his mouth showing his distaste for their current predicament as well, "On three. One…two…three!"

Natasha ducked low, swiping her foot across the floor and aiming for Andromeda's ankles, hoping to knock her flat on her back while Clint swung his bow like a bat and tried to smack her face. Andromeda only laughed harder and grabbed Clint's bow swinging it and him in a wide circle and flinging them across the room while she stomped down on Natasha's foot. The cry of pain escaped Natasha's lips before she could stop it as the bones in her ankle snapped. This woman was much stronger than she looked. Natasha glanced to Clint who was trying to get back on his feet but struggling. Concussion probably. He'd banged into the wall pretty hard. Natasha was surprised he was still conscious. Andromeda didn't look shocked though. She merely smiled and reached down, grabbing a handful of Natasha's hair and pulling her to her feet. Natasha winced at the pressure on her broken ankle as she was forced toward the hole in the wall. She struggle, reaching for the knife in her boot but Andromeda merely moved her hand to Natasha's throat once more, "Please do not struggle. I'm supposed to keep you alive but I am allowed to kill you if I absolutely have to."

Natasha grabbed Andromeda's wrist, trying futilely to loosen the death-grip the woman had on her throat. She turned her eyes to Clint who had made it to her feet, his bow raised and shaking slightly as he tried to remain conscious, "Let. Her. Go."

Andromeda gave a small tsk and shook her head, her grip on Natasha tightening and making the red-head feel like her neck was about to snap, "Now, now, place nice Hawkeye. I wouldn't want to splatter your girlfriend's brains all over the walls and I'm sure you don't want that either."

Clint hesitated and that was all it took. Andromeda leapt through the hole in the building, dropping Natasha as she did and she was gone.

Natasha screamed as she plummeted toward the ground, unable to control the fear even as her throat was scratched raw and she could taste blood. She was about to die. She could see Clint's panicked face as he stuck his head out of the S.H.I.E.L.D transport. He was screaming something, possibly her name as he knocked an arrow. She closed her eyes and simply waited. Either Clint would save her or she would die. She was hoping Clint would reach her in time but she didn't know how he could manage that.

And then arms were snatching her out of the air, jarring her body and making her bite her tongue painfully. Her eyes snapped open and she couldn't decide whether or not she should struggle. Tony Stark's face was peering out at her from his Iron Man armor and he was, as usual, smirking a bit, "Decide to take up flying Natasha?"

"Don't call me Natasha, Stark." She growled, trying to ignore the way her voice cracked and broke.

Tony frowned a bit, "Are you okay?"

She gave a small nod and glanced above them. Clint was still hanging out of the hole in the transport but his face was no longer contorted in fear. He looked relieved and drained. She turned her eyes back to Tony, "What were you doing over here?"

He gave a little shrug, "I figured you and Barton would be arriving together and I wasn't far. I decided to join you when I noticed you falling from the transport. I never pegged you for a clumsy type, Romanoff."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm not. Barton can explain when we get back inside. I need sleep."

"I think you need a doctor."

"I'm fine."

Tony scowled, "Sure you are because your ankle has always hung at that awkward angle. It's a talent, right?"

Natasha sighed out in annoyance, "It's just a small break. It'll heal right up."

"That's what you said after the Loki incident. And look what happened."

She hated to admit it but he did have a point. She'd ended up needing surgery on her ankle after the incident in the Hellicarrier. It really hadn't hurt at first but after about a week, she couldn't walk on it much less spar. Fury had forced her to the medical bay and she'd been stuck there for an entire month while Clint trained and went on missions alone. It was pure torture. She was not about to do that again. "Fine, I'll go to med bay when we reach the Hellicarrier and we know why Fury has called us all back together. Deal?"

Tony grinned, "Deal."

They'd reached the hole in the transport by now and Clint went into full-on mother hen mode the moment Tony's feet touched the ground. He was making sure she didn't have a concussion (from what she didn't know) and checking over her bruised throat and lastly her broken ankle. He cursed under his breath in Russian, something he'd picked up from her which made her smile a bit, "You're going to be in a cast for a while, Tasha."

She grimaced and moved to stand, glaring at Stark until he finally set her down where she proceeded to stumble and yelp at the weight on her ankle. So maybe it was pretty bad. Clint slung her arm over his shoulders and helped her over to a somewhat clean couch, setting her down gently, "It's not so bad Barton. Nothing some pain meds can't fix. Besides, it only hurts when I try to stand on it."

Clint didn't look like he agreed but he didn't argue any further. He'd be the same way if he were in her position so instead he removed her boot as gently as he could, shaking his head as her spare gun fell out, and rolled up her pants. He gave a small whistle and turned concerned eyes on her, "Are you sure it's not hurting?"

She gave a small shrug, "It's not so bad."

Clint didn't look like he believed her and shook his head once more, "It's pretty bad Tasha. It looks like it's a clean break but it's also a pretty big break."

She groaned and tipped her head back over the couch, "Why does this always happen to me?"

Clint patted her good leg, "You're a disaster magnet Tasha. Always have been and always will be. You wouldn't the partner I've come to know if you weren't."

She rolled her eyes, "идиот." (Idiot.)

Clint barked a small laugh, "It was a compliment, I promise."

She scoffed and refused to meet his eyes. This was a pretty normal routine for them seeing as someone usually ended up injured when they went out on missions. And Clint was right; she was a disaster magnet because ninety percent of the time she was the one getting hurt. Of course, she was also the one who did all the close combat. Clint watched her back from vents and trees while she worked her magic on the targets. Occasionally he would be on the ground with her but usually he was her eyes, telling her where the target was and who they were with and how much security there was in place.

Tony, however, did not know any of this and looked a little confused by their easy exchange. Natasha's ankle was broken, he'd expected more…well, emotion he supposed. But he forgot he was dealing with two master assassins. They didn't do the whole emotion thing very well. He'd been around normal people too long apparently because he expected Barton to get a little angry at Natasha while Natasha actually looked like she was in pain, "I don't get you two, I really don't."

Natasha just laughed, "No one does apparently."

Clint smirked and glanced at Tony, "You have any idea who that woman was?"

Tony frowned, "What woman?"

Natasha rolled her eyes, "The one who blew a hole in the transport and then beat the shit out of me. That woman."

Tony looked even more confused now, "You were beat up by a woman and then thrown out of the transport? Wow, I didn't think anyone could get the drop on you like that, Nat."

"Stark, you call me Nat one more time and I'll make sure you never have children. Understand?"

Clint chuckled and settled into a seat beside Natasha. There was a gaping hole in the transport but they were still moving at least. It took a lot more to slow down S.H.I.E.L.D. They were pretty used to the no win situations and flying around with damaged aircraft. Thankfully, it seemed like no one had been seriously injured. Except for Natasha and even her condition wasn't terrible. They'd dealt with worse in their years as partners.

Tony glanced at the hole in the wall once more, a frown growing on his face. No normal woman could have made that hole or beaten Natasha. He had a feeling this woman had to do with why Fury had called them all in today. What was it with the sudden appearance of super-powered enemies these days? Loki had been the worst so far but the enemies just wouldn't stop coming. The Mandarin had been a problem only last month and now a brand new enemy was popping up in their lives. Perfect. So much for the vacation in Barcelona he'd been planning with Pepper. She wasn't going to be happy.

"Stark, you listening?" Tony blinked, his attention snapping back to Clint.

"What?"

Clint sighed and shook his head, "We were just saying that it seems like there's another fight coming. Did you know anything about this? We've been in and out of the country a lot recently and haven't spent more than a week at a time in New York."

Tony shook his head, "No, there hasn't been anything happening around here for a while. Well, there the Mandarin incident last month but that's all settled now. It's actually ben pretty quiet. Pepper and I were going to take a vacation to Barcelona. So much for that idea."

The assassins looked at one another, not really understanding how going out of the country could be considered a vacation. Of course, they spent most of their time on missions when they were in other countries. Maybe it was different when you were there for fun?

"Agents, we will be arriving at the Hellicarrier in thirty seconds. Please move to the landing bay. I repeat…"

Clint sighed and helped Natasha to her feet, sliding her arm over his shoulders and being careful to keep her weight off of her broken ankle, "Well, at least that means you'll get some treatment soon. We need you at one hundred percent if this new woman is our enemy."

Natasha gave a half-heart smile, trying to hide her grimace of pain as they began making their way toward the landing bay. Tony could easily just carry her but he also knew that even attempting that would only land him in more trouble and he probably wouldn't be able to walk for the next week or so. Natasha didn't like looking weak. He was surprised she'd even let Barton help her to the landing bay without argument. It made him wonder what had happened between them since the incident with Loki. They had been close back then and it looked like they were even closer now. The easy way they spoke and acted around one another had become that of more than just partner but Tony wasn't sure whether they even knew it. More than likely they had no idea that their relationship was heading toward something more than just the easy partnership they had.

He smiled, now that would be interesting indeed…

Fury was waiting for them the moment they set foot on the Hellicarrier's main deck. Natasha had refused the wheelchair offered to her by the medics and was currently glaring at one who had been stubborn enough to follow them all the way through the Hellicarrier. Tony had to hand it to the small woman, she was brave. Or very stupid. Either way, Natasha wasn't letting her within a foot of her broken ankle. No matter how much it hurt. The pain was so obvious on the red-head's face but as usual, Tony didn't think the assassin would ever admit how much it really hurt. Unless she was alone with Barton. Tony was fairly certain she shared her pains and her worries with her partner.

"Romanoff, let the woman treat you," Fury barked, eyeing the Russian and daring her to argue.

Natasha looked like she as going to do just that but instead though better of it and let out an annoyed huff, "Fine. Do what you need but I do _not_ want or need a wheelchair."

The medic gave a small eye roll and helped Natasha place her foot on an empty chair, gently raising her pants' leg and trying not to show any kind of reaction but failing. Her eyes flicked to Natasha's face as the fiery woman worked to keep her face calm, her eyes tightening as she focused on Fury, "So, why are we all here?"

Fury shook his head, "We'll start when the others get here. I don't feel like repeating this."

The doors hissed open behind them and Clint grinned, "Hey there Cap. Been a while."

He stood, moving to shake the blonde's hand and slap him on the back, "Agent Barton. I trust you and Natasha have been doing well?"

Clint shrugged, "About as good as we can I guess."

The Captain laughed a bit and nodded, "Sounds about right?"

Natasha raised her hand, "Hey Cap."

"What happened?"

"I think Fury is going to explain better than I can. If the crazy woman who attacked me is the reason we're all here today," Natasha raised a brow at Fury who merely nodded.

"Where's Banner?" Clint asked, glancing at Tony. The last time he'd seen the good doctor he'd been getting into a car with Tony.

Tony shrugged under his armor, "He left a few months back. Sad he had a few things to do."

Steve frowned, "A few things? Like what?"

"I was trying to find a cure to my…condition. The other guy wasn't very happy with me though. I needed to breathe and relax for a while."

All eyes turned to Bruce Banner as he entered the bridge, "Bruce! It's been a while!"

Bruce smiled a little at Tony's overly enthusiastic greeting, "Hello again Tony."

"Now that we're all here, I think it's time we get down to business," Fury's voice was like a knife, slicing through the warm greetings and reminding them all that there was a real problem they had ot deal with.

"Where's our hulking demi-god?" Tony asked, finally removing his armor and settling into a seat around the table. His armor folded down into a small briefcase and he set it beside him on the ground, adjusting the cuff links of his designer suit. He'd been preparing for a press conference when Fury's call came in. He wasn't upset to be missing it at all. Pepper could handle it without him anyway. He was just there for show.

"I am here, man of Iron," Thor's booming voice echoed through the room as he approached the table, flopping into a chair and making the floor rumble beneath him.

"Thor arrived last night with news that his brother escaped Asgard. He came here right away, assuming Loki's first target would be the people who brought him down the first time. We haven't detected anyone entering the atmosphere except for Thor but we're still monitoring the atmosphere and the space around Earth. And to make matters worse, this new woman has begun to show herself. She first appeared a little over a month ago. She escaped from a Russian prison actually, and from that moment she's been on our radar. She possesses strength on par with Hulk's and intelligence that rivals yours Stark. She is cunning and we believe she may be working with Loki. We know that she is not from Earth. Our sources say that she is over one hundred years old and was placed in prison shortly after her arrival here. She's been there for over a century and looks the same as the day she went in. There isn't much we know about her origins. We don't even know her name," Fury said, tossing folders on the table.

Clint grabbed one and handed another to Natasha who flipped through the pages and pictures, biting her lip like usual as she took in the information written there. Clint glanced briefly at the pages, his photographic memory making learning this file easy. He tossed the file on the table, "Her name is Andromeda."

Fury didn't even look shocked, "I looked over the video footage from the transport. She's unlike any other opponent you've gone up against. Loki was cunning and strong but Andromeda is fearless and so far she has proven to be tough physically as well as mentally. Our guns do not work on her and our blades cannot cut her. She is not human but because we don't actually know what she is we can't design a weapon that can actually harm her. Which is where you come in. You are the only ones who can get close to her and take something that will tell us who she is. Hair, blood, anything that can be traced back to her species. None of our other agents have managed to challenge her in the slightest. But I think together you can do what none of my other agents can. You'll head out tomorrow morning. We've managed to narrow down Andromeda's possible hideouts to three plausible locations. You'll have to search each one and if she isn't there we'll try another set of locations. Rest up and be here at 0500."

Fury turned back to the monitors after that, leaving no more room for questions and letting them know that the discussion was over. The medic was still fussing over Natasha, wrapping an ACE bandage over her ankle for the time being and muttering something about stubborn agents and not being respected. Clint smirked and helped Natasha to her feet once more. They left the room as quickly as they could, heading for their living quarters on the other side of the Hellicarrier. They had rooms near the training areas because out of all the agents they used the facilities the most. They had separate rooms but most nights they stayed in one room or the other. They were haunted by dreams of their pasts and most nights they would simply talk until dawn or spar until one of them was too tired to continue. It was their routine.

It was how they found peace.


End file.
